Italias blogg

Before Rome became a republic and an empire, it had seven kings.
The first king of Rome was its legendary founder, Romulus.
"Ars longa, vita brevis" is a common saying in Italy. It means "art is long, life is short" and reflects the Italian love of leisure.
An engineering marvel of the ancient world, Cloacus Maxima, is the sewer of Rome.
The first Roman Emperor was Augustus Octavian, who came to power in 27 BC.
The Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, after its last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was forced to abdicate by barbarian invaders.
A Roman Centurion commanded 100 hundred men.
A Roman Legion was made up of 6,000 men.
Italy has a resident foreign population of 1.27 million.
Italy's current constitution took effect January 1, 1948
The president of Italy is a ceremonial figure.
The prime minister serves as the head of government and is the one who runs the country.
Since October 1946, the national anthem of Italy has been Inno di Mameli .

The ice cream cone is an Italian invention.
The majority of Italian-American immigrants came from Naples and southern Italy.
The ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius.
Mt. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, destroying a number of neighboring villages.
Eyeglasses are an Italian invention.
The average Italian is 41 years old.
Italy has 16 regions and 4 autonomous regions.
Before adopting the euro, Italy's currency was known as the lira.
The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year.
Italy's major industries include tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, and ceramics.
Italy has more hotel rooms than any other nation in Europe.
The espresso machine hails from Italy.
Italy is the world's fifth largest industrial economy.
Barely a third of Italy's land is arable and suitable for farming.

The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day.
Italy's contributions to science include the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, and wireless telegraphy.
Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci.
Today's modern Italian language originated in the region of Tuscany.
Enrico Fermi, inventor of the nuclear reactor, was an Italian.
The automobile, Fiat , is one of Italy's greatest products.
With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.
Italy is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City .
Besides Julius Caesar, Shakespeare also set in Italy ( entirely or partially):
Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline,Much Ado About Nothing, Othello,The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona,The Winter's Tale
Cologne came out of Italy.

The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day.
Italy's contributions to science include the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, and wireless telegraphy.
Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci.
Today's modern Italian language originated in the region of Tuscany.
Enrico Fermi, inventor of the nuclear reactor, was an Italian.
The automobile, Fiat , is one of Italy's greatest products.
With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.
Italy is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City .

Italy's unemployment rate is around 8.6%, but it is as high as 20% in the more impoverished south.
Italian farms produce grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives, beef, and dairy.
The average life expectancy at birth for an Italian is 79.54 years.
The famous children's story, Pinocchio , was written by an Italian.
The city of Naples gave birth to the pizza .
The piano hails from Italy.
The longest river in Italy is the Po.

Here are 100 fun facts that you might not know about Italy, its people, and its history:

Italy is slightly larger than Arizona.
Almost 20% of Italy's population is over 65 years old.
Italy borders Austria, France, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
Its longest border is with Switzerland.
The average Italian family has 1.27 children.
Everybody 18 and over can vote, however you have to be at least 25 to vote in Senate elections.
The Italian flag is inspired by the French flag introduced during Napoleon's 1797 invasion of the peninsula.
The average Italian makes $26,700 a year, however those in the more prosperous north make almost $40,000
The thermometer is an Italian invention.
Italy's unemployment rate is around 8.6%, but it is as high as 20% in the more impoverished south.